Just when it looked liked it couldn't get any more outrageous Congressman Joe Sestak is quoting from the Torah to justify his speaking to a Saudi funded front group for Hamas at their Philadelphia banquet "because they do some good" which could be reference to fellow speaker former ambassador Edward Peck ,who went on a Council for the National Interest [aka Council to Nuke Israel] "political pilgrimage" where he payed hommage to Hamas Gaza leader Al Zahar, Hamas head Khalid Mascha'al in Syria, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, and the brother of baby killer Samir Kuntar.

"It even says in the Torah, understand the other side before you make a judgment. Once you make your judgment, you should speak the truth. And the truth here -- and I looked into CAIR during the campaign -- is that they do some good," said Sestak, D-7, of Edgmont.

[Perhaps Sestak means that they have done some good for him -since the group is flush with 50 ml dollars from a UAE businessman who is bankrolling their attempts to 'improve the image of Islam' by getting people like his staffer Adeeba Al Zaman into positions such as Congressional staffers where they will be able to promote CAIR's radical Islamist agenda from within the political system]

Sestak stated his intention to spread tell the Saudi funded front group for Hamas and defendant in a 9/11 terrorism lawsuit that they should condenn the very groups and activities which the fundraiser is aimed to help!

They must condemn terrorism -- by name, the perpetrators -- and disassociate themselves from those who have murky ties or have been indicted."

Sestak, who considers himself "a friend of Israel," said he would incorporate that message into his speech at the Hilton Philadelphia. Approximately 250 of the congressman's Muslim constituents are expected to attend the CAIR event.

[MIM: If Sestak does show up at the banquet the propaganda value will be enormous -MIM predicts that (depending on the size of the venue) hundreds more would attend to bolster their new CAIR Congressman who has shown his unwavering loyalty to their cause]

With all the sincerity of a fertility doctor from an expensive clinic reassuring a long time patient she is "almost pregnant" Joe Sestak informed a predominantly Jewish audience on Sunday that he would be speaking at The Council on American Islamic Relations banquet -not the fundraiser despite the fact that his own CAIR staffer told an official from a major Jewish organisation that they were one and the same.

A Democratic lawyer is ratcheting up the pressure on U.S. Rep. Joseph Sestak and trying to build Jewish opposition to his planned attendance of an upcoming Council on Islamic-American Relations banquet and the hiring of a former CAIR staffer. Robert Lipshutz, a former Philadelphia assistant district attorney, distributed a letter Tuesday to Delaware County rabbis, calling on Sestak to cancel the April 7 speaking engagement in Philadelphia and fire his district outreach coordinator, Adeeba Al-Zaman.

With 32 chapters, CAIR describes itself as the nation's largest Muslim advocacy group. It devotes much of its resources to anti-defamation work and educational activities, but has also been flagged by prominent Democrats -- including Sens. Barbara Boxer and Charles Schumer -- for having ties to terrorist organizations.

After facing some pointed questions Sunday at the B'nai Aaron Synagogue in Haverford, Sestak said Tuesday he stands by his decision to speak at the event and hire Al-Zaman to coordinate outreach activities in his district.

"It even says in the Torah, understand the other side before you make a judgment. Once you make your judgment, you should speak the truth. And the truth here -- and I looked into CAIR during the campaign -- is that they do some good," said Sestak, D-7, of Edgmont.

"But that isn't enough. They must condemn terrorism -- by name, the perpetrators -- and disassociate themselves from those who have murky ties or have been indicted."

Sestak, who considers himself "a friend of Israel," said he would incorporate that message into his speech at the Hilton Philadelphia. Approximately 250 of the congressman's Muslim constituents are expected to attend the CAIR event.

Lipshutz, 59, a Montgomery County Democrat who said he voted for congressional candidate Lois Murphy, isn't satisfied.

"You always have to be able to take in information to see if maybe you have to make a mid-course adjustment," said Lipshutz, who wants Sestak to cut all ties with CAIR and fire Al-Zaman.

In his letter to Sestak, which was sent Tuesday to local rabbis, Lipshutz wrote: "I believe you are so sure of both your own goodness and of your judgment about this young woman that you failed to consider not only that your judgment may have been wrong, but also in the impact your decisions have made and will continue to make on others."

The convictions of two former CAIR members on charges of supporting terrorist operations and engaging in financial transactions with Hamas was reportedly a factor in Boxer's decision to rescind an award to the head of CAIR's Sacramento office.

Schumer, D-N.Y., said during a 2003 Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Terrorism hearing that CAIR has "ties to terrorism" and "intimate links with Hamas."

The group's government affairs director, Corey Saylor, told the Daily Times this month that CAIR condemns "any act of terrorism, whoever commits it." He said individuals indicted or convicted for supporting terrorists were not acting on behalf of the organization.

In the wake of negative news coverage, CAIR's Pennsylvania chapter has altered its Web site at least twice.

The invitation for next month's "Connecting and Sharing" event was separated into a banquet with Sestak's name on it and a fund-raiser without his name. Sestak will not be participating in the fundraiser.

The online biography for Al-Zaman, a stepdaughter of a CAIR board member, has also been scrubbed of any reference to her job with the congressman. Sestak said Tuesday he did not request the phrase be removed.

"I did not know it was on. I did not know it had been taken off," he said.

Of Al-Zaman, Sestak said, "I cannot speak highly enough of her."

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MIM:CAIR Philly's latest Action Alert for the convicted terrorist and head of Palestinian Islamic Jihad in America -Sami Al Arian. It is certain that Adeeba Al Zaman will ask Sestak to put in a good word for Al Arian -whose indictment listed 100 people he was responsible for murdering.

Action Alert ›

WRITE LETTERS IN SUPPORT OF DR. AL-ARIAN

Imprisoned Florida professor collapses on 23rd day of hunger strike

February 15, 2007

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is calling on American Muslims and other people of conscience to write letters in support of Dr. Sami Al-Arian, a former Florida professor currently on a hunger strike in federal detention to protest his treatment by U.S. authorities.

Family members report that Al-Arian collapsed on the 23rd day of his fast and has been moved from Virginia to a medical facility in North Carolina.

Al-Arian began his hunger strike more than three weeks ago after being given a sentence of up to 18 months for refusing to testify before a grand jury in Virginia. His attorneys say an earlier plea agreement freed him from further cooperation with the government. Supporters say the government's actions amount to a form of harassment.

In 2005, a Florida jury rejected federal charges that Al-Arian operated a cell for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Al-Arian later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and was scheduled for release and deportation in April.

The American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections (AMT), a national coalition of major American Muslim organizations, recently said the new prison sentence given to Al-Arian amounted to unconstitutional "double jeopardy."

The AMT statement said in part:

"It is becoming increasingly clear that the government is seeking to impose legal and physical penalties on Dr. Al-Arian that it could not obtain through the judicial process. . .We call on all fair-minded Americans who care about the preservation of the integrity of our nation's legal system to speak out about this apparent abuse of prosecutorial power. We also call on federal authorities to cease their harassment of Dr. Al-Arian and to release him as scheduled so that he and his family can resume their lives in another country."

1. CONTACT the following officials to request that Dr. Sami Al-Arian be released from detention and allowed to leave the country with his family. (Make sure to include your name, address and ZIP Code in the letter)

The Honorable Judge Gerald Lee U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia 401 Courthouse Square Alexandria, VA 22314

Dr. Sami Al-Arian is currently on a hunger strike in federal detention to protest his treatment by U.S. authorities. Family members report that Al-Arian collapsed on the 23rd day of his fast and has been moved from Virginia to a medical facility in North Carolina. He began his hunger strike more than three weeks ago after being given a sentence of up to 18 months for refusing to testify before a grand jury in Virginia. His attorneys say an earlier plea agreement freed him from further cooperation and that the government's actions amount to a form of harassment. I therefore respectfully request that you support the immediate release of Dr. Al-Arian so that he and his family may resume their lives in another country.